Dirty Blood, Pure Blood
by thecheerfulmuffin
Summary: This is the sequel to 'The Mudblood and the Death Eater'. I'm not good with summaries. Hermione and Draco are kept apart by the Second Wizarding War. Rated M for future chapters and safety. Timelines for Draco and Hermione aren't always parallel.
1. Chapter 1

**_Authors Note: This is a sequel. So if you haven't read my other fic, The Mudblood and the Death Eater, I suggest you do. I got this up faster than I expected! I would just like to say thanks to my readers! I love you guys! This fic is going to be considerably darker than the first part of it. It might be longer as well… but we'll see. I hope you guys like it!_**

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><p><em>Draco smiled at Hermione. She was grinning up at him, a light sheen of sweat coating her forehead. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly. He pushed hair off of her face and resumed kissing her. She peeled his shirt off, breaking their kiss. As soon as his lips touched hers again, his Dark Mark burned. Suddenly, the scene changed. He was in a dark corridor with Voldemort. Hermione stood off to the side, his aunt holding her with the tip of her wand pressed against her temple. Draco made a move in her direction and was suddenly brought to the floor by the searing pain of the Cruciatus curse. Voldemort's cold cackle echoed in the hall. Bellatrix sneered and shouted, "Avada Keda-"<em>

Draco awoke to a light tapping against his window. He cursed under his breath before getting up. Every morning an owl delivering the Daily Prophet seemed to interrupt his dreams about Hermione. Lately, he couldn't go a second without thinking about her. Usually his dreams were good. Nothing more than reminders of their time together over the school year. This one, however, was dark. Far different from the rest. He pulled open the window, expecting the usual lone owl. A soft sprinkle of rain was falling on the ground outside and two owls flew through his window. Draco pointed his wand at the empty fireplace and muttered a spell. Suddenly, bright flames appeared, warming the room. One owl dropped a letter onto his bed and soared out soundlessly. The other stuck its leg out as Draco untied the Prophet; he dropped three Knuts into its leather pouch. The owl gave a small hoot and flew away again.

Draco set the paper on his windowsill, more interested in the letter that lay on his disheveled bed. He picked up the envelope and sat down. There was no name on it. Unsure of whom it was from, Draco carefully opened it. A thin piece of parchment fell into his lap. He immediately recognized the handwriting as Hermione's:

_**Dear Draco,**_

_**Due to my current situation, I can't tell you who I am directly. But I'm more than positive that you can figure it out. And I can't tell you where I'm writing this from either. Don't try to find out.**_

_**It's stupid and dangerous of me to send this to you. Not just for my safety, but for yours. If it was my fault you got punished by you-know-you… I couldn't live with myself. I hope he wasn't mad that you didn't kill Dumbledore. If he hurt you, that makes my current 'mission' more important. I can't give you details, in case this letter were to fall into the wrong hands. I'm sorry, I wish I could. **_

_**It's been hard for me not to write you every day. I miss you terribly. And I won't be returning to school next year. I'm not sure if you, given your situation, will be either. I hope we can see each other again soon. At least I have all of my memories of you. If I get hurt, I really do want you to know that those times I spent with you were the greatest moments of my life. **_

_**As much as I would love to hear from you and make sure you're okay… it's far too risky. Please don't write back. Just for the sake of our safety. And in the hope that if nothing bad happens, we'll be able to be together again. I miss you so much. And love you even more. **_

Draco folded the letter in half and brought it to his lips. He was upset to learn that she wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts. That was the only place that they had a chance of being together. But with the way things were going, school would only be safe for a select few. And seeing that she wouldn't be in that few, her absence might be a good thing. He stood, walked to his desk, and pulled out some parchment and ink.

**I know you told me not to write back. And I understand why. You're right; it's probably in our best interest to avoid communication for a while. But it's hard for me to know that you're doing some sort of a 'risky mission' and I can't do anything to help you. You're a tough girl, so I know you'll be okay for the most part. But the fact is, Death Eaters and Snatchers will find you and kill you. Especially because you're a muggle-born. I don't know what you're doing out there. But please, stay safe. **

**I don't know if this would help you… but I can pass on some information. Remember the old muggle studies teacher? A few weeks ago, the Dark Lord killed her. Only because of what she was teaching. And Snape is going to be the new headmaster at Hogwarts. Things will be really different. From what I've heard it will be completely horrible for everyone. Maybe it's for the best you won't be going back. And He's taken total control over the Ministry. The Unforgiveable curses are legal now. From everything I've heard, His enemies don't stand a chance. I know that isn't happy news in the least, but it might help. I know more, but I doubt sending them in a letter would be a smart idea.**

**I've been thinking about you a lot. Every minute away from you has been so difficult to live with. The only good thing that seems to have happened since the last time I saw you, and that night wasn't really that great, is my father getting out of Azkaban. But even that has a bad side to it. He's afraid of the Dark Lord. I am too, of course, but to a different degree. He knows that one more slip up could end with him dead. **

**I'm worried about you. I hope you're safe. Please don't do anything that could put you in danger. I love you so very much and would hate to see harm come to you. Please, please, please remember how much I love you. And I swear I'll remember how much you love me. Maybe that will give us something to hold onto during these dark times.**

Draco leaned back and re-read what he had written. He softly smiled and pulled the Prophet towards him. He intended to send the letter at a better and safer time, when he was less likely to get caught. When he got a look at the front page, his heart sunk. A small picture of Hermione, along with a few other muggle-borns, sat under a large headline. **"MUDBLOODS WANTED FOR QUESTIONING." **

He knew sending the letter would be a mistake. He picked it up again and threw it into the fire. As the flames hungrily consumed it, Draco's concern for Hermione grew.


	2. Chapter 2

"Tomorrow?" Hermione asked. "You're sure about this Harry?"

"Of course. Umbridge has the horcrux! She doesn't realize what it is but we have to get it from her if we want to stop Vol-"

"The curse!" Ron interrupted, looking fearful.

"Fine. You-Know-Who… if we want to stop Him… we have to do this soon!"

"I know, I know. It's just risky right now, don't you think?"

"Come on Hermione. Any time we try to do this, it'll be risky. It'd be best just to get it over with, right?"

"Right…" Hermione nodded, feeling uneasy.

"So it's settled then." Harry said shortly and left the room.

Ron noticed the distraught look on Hermione's face. He smiled and placed his hand on top of hers, "Hey, it'll be fine… Don't worry about a thing. We'll just sneak in there using Pollyjuice Potion, get the locket, and then destroy it. No problem."

Hermione forced a smile and slipped her hand away. Ron was always going to be a great friend, but lately it was becoming obvious that Ron had feelings for her. She pretended to read until he sighed and joined Harry in the other room. Hermione closed the heavy book and set it back onto the wood table. Ron was a great guy and she didn't deny that he was relatively attractive, but Draco consumed most of her thoughts and all of the love she could give. She missed him more than she thought she would.

Hermione wondered if he had gotten her letter. As much as she had wanted him to write back, she knew it would be very dangerous. If the other Death Eaters found out about her sending it, everyone would be in trouble. Harry would in particular danger. Seeing that she was a muggle born and Ron was a blood traitor they would probably be only slightly better off. And Draco would probably be considered a traitor as well. No one would have a happy ending if they were caught. If they could succeed in finding all the horcruxes and killing Voldemort, things would be better.

Hermione looked out of a grimy window. Too many bad things had happened since He came back. _Something good has to come out of this. I just hope in the end Draco is okay. I don't know what I would if he got hurt or… or worse. I hope I'll be okay too... _

"Hermione?" Harry asked softly. She turned towards the doorway and realized that she had been silently crying. "Everything okay?"

"Y-yeah. Of course. It's just difficult to deal with everything." She wiped her eyes and smiled.

"I know. I just wanted to make sure you weren't upset. Ron told me you seemed… distant." He walked over and sat in the chair next to hers.

"Distant? Hmm..." She shrugged. "I don't know what he means. I'm a little distracted I suppose."

"Distracted? Because of the horcruxes?" Harry asked slowly.

"Uh, something like that." She looked away again. _I'm just concerned about Draco. I hope there's a chance that we can be together again soon. But every time I think about him, no matter how good the thoughts are, I can't help but wonder if he's okay. _

"Hermione!" Harry said firmly. She hadn't realized how lost in thought she had been. "I asked if you think you'll be okay."

"Yeah…. Yeah I'm fine." She smiled wider than before, hoping it would convince Harry that everything was fine.

"Well alright then." He said faintly, obviously unconvinced. "Well if you're sure…"

"I'm sure." She gritted her teeth.

"Okay." He paused. "Well do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Erm, sure…"

"So at the end of last year… I couldn't help notice that you missed class… And well it was always on the days Draco did. Ron said he talked to you about this but there was something else I didn't tell him because I thought he might get upset…"

"Oh? And, uh, w-what was that?"

"Hermione. I constantly checked the Map last year. I had seen that you and Malfoy were in the same exact place a few times… What was up with that?"

"Why would that upset Ron?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Can you answer my question?"

"It was because…" Hermione stopped to think. _Should I just tell him? I won't be seeing Draco for a while… Maybe it'll be okay… But I will be seeing Harry and Ron everyday and they might feel differently about the situation. I should probably wait. I'll tell them eventually though… _"It was because I wanted to find out what he was doing. You had said he was snooping around… I just thought I should try to see what he was doing. Sometimes there were close calls… but I didn't find anything out. I had no idea what he was planning. I'm sorry if I made you suspicious."

"Oh. Well that makes sense. I didn't really think anything was going on, of course. I mean… its Draco Malfoy we're talking about. He's horrible."

"Ye-yeah. He is… uh, really awful." Hermione bit her lip.

Harry raised an eyebrow, obviously hearing the lack of enthusiasm in her voice. He didn't say anything else on the subject though. "Well tomorrow we'll infiltrate the Ministry and get that horcrux from Umbridge… Think you're ready?"

"Yes… but there is a huge chance of us getting caught or something…" She looked uncomfortable. "And you're the only thing left in His way."

"We'll be very careful. We've gone over the plan a few times…"

"I know, I know." She stood. "I'm going to go up to my room… I'm kind of tired."

"Okay." Harry nodded.

Hermione quickly walked up the stairs leading to the second floor of Sirius's old house. She sadly smiled, thinking about the time they had to help clean the house with him. _If Draco and I had gotten together then… maybe things would be different. Well, I think You-Know-Who would still be in power... but maybe Draco would be different… I need to focus. Focus, Hermione! Focus! Think about finding all the horcruxes… That's your priority. We need to stop Him. And, now that I think about things more… I'm also doing this so maybe Draco and I can be together._

She pulled open the door to the bedroom she was using and stepped inside. With a groan she fell back onto the soft bed and stared up at the cracked ceiling. She yawned and rolled onto her side. Before she drifted of to sleep she muttered, "I really do love him…"


	3. Chapter 3

Draco walked slowly down the aisle of the Hogwarts express, glancing in every compartment as he went. He knew that Hermione wouldn't be returning to school, but part of him thought, more so hoped, that she might have changed her mind. When he reached the very last compartment, he sighed and closed his eyes.

"Draco!" The shrill voice of Pansy Parkinson interrupted his thoughts. His eyes snapped open and he shot her a menacing glare. Brushing off his sinister attitude, Pansy reached for his hand and pulled him towards another part of the train. "We've been waiting for you! Come on… the rest of us have a compartment to ourselves."

"Let go of me Pansy." He snapped, trying to slip out of her firm grasp. "I was busy."

"Doing what?" She snorted. "All I saw was you standing by yourself and I thought you might need some company."

"Urg… No thanks…" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Come on…" She pleaded as she slid open the door to an empty compartment. "Just relax, Draco."

"Uh, Pansy? This compartment is empty… you said the others were waiting for me." He raised an eyebrow.

She slid the door shut and let go of his hand. "I thought we could be alone for a while… catch up and stuff. I hadn't heard from you all summer. I was worried there was another girl or something." She giggled.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Pansy… there isn't anything between us. There hasn't really been since our fifth year. We've stayed friends, but you're making that hard for me to do. And, yes, there is a girl who I'm seeing…" He smirked at the appalled look on her face. "She's considerate, smart, beautiful, and I just so happen to be deeply in love with her."

Pansy's face had turned very red. She stared at Draco, her lips tense and eyebrows furrowed. "O-oh yeah? Well who is this girl?"

"She's not going to be at school this year. She was here last year, we'd always sneak off together, so it's not like you would've seen her. But you do know her…" He shrugged.

"Who. Is. She." Pansy repeated through clenched teeth.

"I'm not going to tell you." He sneered and tried to leave the compartment. Pansy blocked the door.

"Why not? Are you trying to make me jealous or something?" Her expression softened into a seductive smile. She stepped closer towards him, making him stumble back against the closed window.

"What are you talking about?" He spat, feeling anger rise in his chest. "Of course I'm not. I couldn't think less about y-"

Pansy suddenly kissed him, pressing her lips hard against his. He roughly pushed her away and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, scowling. His voice was low and dangerous, "What the fuck was that?"

"I-I thought…" She stuttered, finally realizing that he didn't have any feelings for her.

Draco stalked over to her and stared down into her eyes. His voice was slow and threatening, ensuring that every word sunk in. "Let me make one thing clear. I don't love you. I don't have any romantic feelings for you. I barely even like you, if you want to know the truth. At one point, I may have. But not anymore. I am in love with another girl. There is no way I will be with you. Do you understand?" She nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. "Good. Now get out."

Pansy left quickly, leaving Draco alone. He sat down and sighed. _It's probably best that I finally dealt with her. I can't believe she kissed me… I kind of feel like I might have betrayed Hermione and our relationship. I know I wasn't willing or anything but… I don't know. I miss Hermione so much right now. I feel so alone right now. She's the only one who can understand everything I'm going through. I just hope she's okay…_

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><p>Hermione leaned against a big tree reading over The Tales of Beedle the Bard and absentmindedly fiddling with the chain of the locket. They had decided to take turns wearing the horcrux, realizing that it was affecting their mood. <em>Now why did Dumbledore leave this to me? I don't really see how this helps much at the moment… <em>She shut the book and stood. They had been moving around to different remote locations after Yaxley had managed to come to Grimmauld Place when they were fleeing the Ministry. She walked into their tent and greeted Harry and Ron. "Hello you two… Ron it's your turn to wear this." She unclasped the locket and passed it to him. His long fingers lingered on hers as he took it. Ron smiled as he put it on and stepped outside of the tent.

"Erm… Harry?" Hermione asked, sitting next to him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Oh, yeah sure… what's up?"

"Well… I'm really not sure how to phrase this…" _I just want to ask him for advice… from another boy's point of view… _"It's mostly just something I'm wondering… there's no real reason why I'm asking. But… say that you are in love with someone who you shouldn't be in love with. And you won't be seeing them for quite some time… what do you think you, as a guy, would do in that situation?"

"Uh. Well that's kind of random…" He shot her a suspicious look. "So it's just hypothetical?"

"Just answer the question please…" She smiled innocently.

"I guess it kind of depends. So I'm really in love with this "girl"… and I shouldn't be in love with her?" Hermione nodded. "And I won't be able to see her for a while? I guess I'd wait until I can be with them… I mean, if I really loved them that's what I'd do."

"Oh good to know." Hermione said, relieved. Noticing the strange look Harry was giving her, she stammered, "I only meant that… uh, well that… it just that… I'm, erm... curious."

"Curious?" Harry repeated. He lowered his voice, so that Ron couldn't hear him. "Does that have anything to do with what we talked about a few days ago? Is it about Malfoy?"

Hermione froze. _I shouldn't have said anything… Oh damn it… _"No… of course not."

"Well… you can tell me. Even if it's not about him in specific…" Harry smiled softly.

"No Harry. It was nothing. Just... Just a stupid question." She looked down, avoiding saying anything else about the subject. _Why did I ask? Do I want him to find out or something? I just needed to be assured Draco and I could be together again. Who knows how long it will be before I see him… Maybe I could risk writing him again… but he'll be back at Hogwarts by now… I suppose I'll just have to wait. Waiting for Draco will be difficult. But I know when I see him again… everything will be fine._

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><p><em><strong>Authors Note: Hey guys… I'm sorry if this is moving a little slow right now… Most of this fic will be about their struggles apart. But I think that by the next chapter… things will start to get better. I might skip ahead in the timeline a little bit… but we'll see. I haven't actually started to write it yet… I'm pretty busy right now. So, are there any suggestions for things I can add in? Remember, I like to keep it relatively cannon to the actual storyline (for some reason). But I always love to know what you guys would want.<br>I have to admit… I enjoy writing the Draco parts more. I feel like I can improvise a lot more and, well, I just like to write about Draco. :)  
>I love feedback… So tell me, did you like the chapter? <strong>_


	4. Chapter 4

"Ron! Come back!" Hermione called out into the darkness. She knew it was no use, he had already apperated. She let out a shuttering breath. It was visible in the chilly autumn air. She sat on the cold ground, and mumbled to herself, "I can't see the person I love… one of my best friends leaves us… I just want this to be over."

"Hermione…" Harry said, walking towards her.

"What?" She snapped, suddenly being overwhelmed by anger.

"It'll be okay." He sat down next to her. "Everything is going to turn out fine."

"Everyone's been saying that. You… Ron… and-" She sighed. "And just everyone. I don't know if I should believe it anymore…"

"I know it seems like things won't ever get better… but I know they will."

"How do you know that?" She asked darkly.

"I don't know for sure… I just have to think things will be okay." He shrugged and smiled faintly. "So… what was that about the person you love?"

"You heard that?" She muttered, feeling nervous.

"Yeah… yeah I did." He sighed. "So who is he?"

"He's… he's nobody."

"Hermione… you don't fall in love with some 'nobody.'" Harry said softly.

"Well maybe I did, okay?" Her tone was harsh.

"No… I know that he's why you asked me that question a few weeks ago. And why you acted so strangely last year… He obviously isn't 'nobody.' I think we should talk… try not to keep any secrets."

"I know, Harry… but you don't seem to understand. I can't tell you. I-I just can't."

"Why?"

"He's not exactly someone who you like…" Her voice trailed away.

"I don't want to pressure you or anything… I just think that talking about this would make sure we stay close. Ron got too distant. And… well, you know…" Harry paused. "Give me the locket. That might make things easier."

She undid the clasp on the locket and passed it to Harry. He didn't put it on, but instead slid it into his jacket pocket. Her mood lifted slightly now that she didn't have it on, but she still was debating whether she should just tell Harry. _I'm worried that he'll take it badly… and Draco had said it's probably better if no one knew but us. But Harry is right… it might create some tension. I don't want to tell him… but I probably should…_

"Do you, erm… have an idea of who you think it might be?" Hermione asked.

"Well… kind of. Not really an idea, just a feeling. I don't think I'm right though… it's kind of crazy." He gave a quick laugh. "Just the thought of it…"

"Uhm… who do you think he is?"

Harry laughed tensely again. "I know we've talked about this… and you've said that nothing's happened between you two. But I can't help but wonder if-"

"You're talking about Draco. Aren't you?" She interrupted softly, looking down at her shoes.

"Y-yeah, I am. I'm sorry if I keep bringing him up… it just seemed strange that during the last part of the term… you'd be out of class at the same time." He looked away and continued awkwardly, "Or you'd show up late, within minutes of each other, looking like… uh… like _something_ had, erm… had happened."

"Oh." She said, thinking over what Harry had just told her. _So we weren't as discreet as we thought. I hope no one else noticed._

"Yeah… Well? Is he the one?" Harry's voice sounded small and far away.

"If I tell you… will you promise not to get upset?" Hermione bit her lip.

Harry stared at her in the darkness for a few long minutes. He whispered, "It is him. Oh god… You fell in love with Draco Malfoy..."

Hermione pulled at a lose thread on her shirt, avoiding eye contact. After a few more moments of awkward silence, she pulled the silver ring that Draco gave her last year, which now hung on a chain around her neck, from the top of her shirt. She held it out so Harry could see it. He stared at it, obviously remembering the lie she told about getting it in Diagon Alley. She spoke softly, "It- it just happened… you're not upset with me… a-are you?"

"I don't know. I'm just trying to…" He sighed deeply and ran his finger through his messy hair. "Trying to process all of this… it's kind of, uh… well overwhelming."

"I'm sorry." Her lower lip trembled. _He wasn't supposed to find out. I can't hide this forever… after the war, if we get through it alive… we probably wouldn't need to keep it a secret anymore. But maybe I should tell Harry it might not work out or something…_

"Wh-what was it like? What was he like?"

"Well it was really quite nice. I was surprised to find out how he feels about me... and how I feel about him. He was… different. He didn't act like such a prick when it was just the two of us… he was really sweet and insecure and-" Harry was looking at her like she was going insane. "He's not a bad person, you know."

"I know but… I couldn't really imagine him being anything else but cold and rude and… and conceited." He scoffed nervously. "So how long were you two… uh, together?"

"Uhm… just a few weeks. A little over a month in all, I believe. But it was long enough for us to… to fall in- in love." She smiled weakly.

"So you were lying to Ron and I… the whole time?" His voice was edged with bitterness.

"Please understand… I didn't want to. I was just afraid you'd be angry."

"I- I'm not mad… I just don't know why you fell in love with a Death Eater who called you a mudblood nearly every time you saw him. And I'm sorry, but I still don't really like him."

"I know you don't… But he never wanted to be a Death Eater, Harry." She said quietly. "You-Know-Who made him be one. And he said he was sorry about calling me a mudblood… he said that blood status didn't matter to him anymore. I will admit, when I saw his dark mark for the first time… I was really… oh I don't know... Upset, I suppose. But then he explained everything to me. And now I know the truth."

"Oh. So he doesn't want to be a Death Eater…?" She nodded. "So just explain to me how all this happened… That's what I don't understand."

Hermione stared at the ground and told Harry about her relationship with Draco, leaving out the intimate details. She hadn't been able to really talk about the situation, so when she finished tears were silently streaming down her cheeks.

"Uh… wow." Harry said finally. "Hermione… I- I'm not mad at you if that's what you're worried about. It's just a little surprising, that's all." She cried harder, "Wh-what is it?"

Hermione pulled him into a tight hug, taking him by surprise. "It's just that… I've tried not to think about him. And… and… It'll be a long time until I can see him again. Unless one of us ends up dead or… or something. Then I'll never see him again."

Harry hugged her back and let her cry in silence for a while. She trembled against him and began to stop crying. He stood up and pulled her to her feet as well. "You will see him again. I… I just know it." He smiled at her. "It's dark out. Why don't you go get some rest? I'll stay out here for a while."

"Okay." Hermione said hoarsely. "Thanks for understanding Harry."

"Don't worry about it." His smile fell slightly; he still wasn't sure about Draco or how he felt about Hermione liking him. He still thought he wasn't really a great person.

"If Ron comes back tonight or before we leave tomorrow… can we not mention this to him? I don't think he'd take it well…"

Harry laughed. "I won't. And of course he'd take it badly. He's kind of mad about you…"

Hermione blushed. "O-okay, then." She stepped inside the tent and suddenly felt better about everything. She whispered to herself, "Everything's going to be fine. Ron will be back tomorrow morning. We'll find all the horcruxes soon. And Draco and I can be together again." She fell asleep, smiling, feeling hopeful for the first time in a while.

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><p>Draco fell back against the cool sheets of his bed. He groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. <em>This is the worst I've felt in a long time. Seeing all the other Death Eaters here makes me feel vulnerable. Like they'll tell Him everything. Even though I miss her so much… it's probably good that Hermione didn't come back. The muggle-borns have it so bad here. At least Pansy's been leaving me alone… but she's been trying to find out who the girl I love is. If she was smart… she'd remember all the times Hermione and I missed class on the same day. She's going to figure things out sooner or later though. <em>

He sighed and closed his eyes. Now that everyone knew he was a Death Eater, even if he didn't want to be one, they either avoided him or practically worshiped him. Either way, it wasn't particularly enjoyable. A few years ago, he would have loved the attention. But now, he just wanted to see Hermione again. Lately he had been thinking about the closest moments they had together. He smiled as he remembered the way she gasped at his touch and how she felt pressed against his body when he hugged her. He thought of the last time they kissed and the last time they had gotten hot and heavy in a broom closet. He missed every little thing about her. The way she looked at him, the softness of her lips on his skin, and the way she held his hand after they had sex. _Goddamn. I wish she could be here with me. I miss her. I want her. And I need her. I hope she still feels the same. _

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><p><em><strong>Authors Note: This was a longish chapter. I skipped ahead in this one. I said I probably would…<br>I decided to have Hermione tell Harry because I just thought she should have someone to talk to. And I was kind of planning that. :) So what did you guys think? And does anyone have suggestions for the next chapter? Thanks for reading! :D**_


	5. Chapter 5

"Why, exactly, am I doing this?" Draco scowled at Scabior as he stepped over a rotting log and into a large clearing.

"I've told you… The Dark Lord says you've got a pretty good knowledge of Potter and his two friends. You went to school with them, didn't you? And that pretty little aunt of yours says you know a lot about that mudblood. Didn't give me details though…" Draco narrowed his eyes at him. "He wants you to help us find them. We got a tip they'd be in this godforsaken forest."

"But why couldn't I just stay at school? Couldn't this wait?"

"Most people would be dying to get out of school for a few weeks. And you're ahead in your classes, right? Severus tells us you're particularly good in Dark Arts. Especially with the Cruciatus curse."

Draco was about to spit out a venomous reply, but Greyback interrupted in a harsh whisper, "Would you two shut up? We're supposed to be quiet. If they hear us… they'll leave. And then we'll lose the only reliable lead we have. You got that?" He snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Fine." Draco said bitterly. He stared at the leaf covered ground as they made their way deeper into the forest. The cold autumn breeze caused him to shiver and pull his black cloak tighter around himself.

"Hang on… I smell something." Scabior said stopping next to a large tree. "Draco, you stay here to check thing out. The rest of you keep looking."

"Unless you're forgetting Scabior… the Dark Lord put me in charge of this mission." Greyback growled, but stomped away anyway.

"Come here Draco. This smells like someone's perfume, doesn't it?" Draco walked over to Scabior and felt his blood run cold. There was indeed the faint scent of musky lavender hanging in the air; he instantly knew it was Hermione's.

* * *

><p>Hermione stood right on the edge of the protected circle around their tent. The enchantments were strong, so she was completely protected from anyone who might pass by. She stared out at the vast woodland in front of her. Trees completely surrounded their small camp, going on for what must have been miles in every direction. A few figures emerged into the clearing; they were led by the werewolf Fenrir Greyback. She gasped and took a few quick steps backwards, nearly tripping. They must be some of the Snatchers she heard about of Potterwatch. She tried to calm herself down: <em>They can't see me. I'll be safe. We've got plenty of enchantments protecting the camp. <em>

Muffled voices drifted towards her. Two more people began to enter the clearing. She didn't recognize the first man to appear; he was tall, a little scruffy, and was dressed in what looked like punk rock military regalia. It seemed like he was explaining something to the other person, who was still in the shadows. A tall, thin, pale boy stepped out into the sun. He was scowling and staring down at the ground. Hermione's breath caught. Her lips twitched into a smile, "Draco…"

As the group came closer towards her, she backed up more, her eyes still focused on Draco. Greyback turned and said something harshly. From what Hermione could hear, they were looking for someone. The scruffy looking man got dangerously close to the protective barrier. She heard him call Draco over and asked if he smelt perfume. Her perfume. She saw a veil of recognition fall over his face.

"Go check this out, I'll stay here." Draco nodded and began to walk around the edge of the enchantments, Hermione followed. When they were far enough away from the other man, Draco whispered, "H-Hermione?"

He stepped cautiously inside the protected area. Hermione smiled at him and felt her heart beat rapidly. He breathed her name and ran over to her, lifting her into a tight hug. He sighed and kissed her passionately. She snaked her arms around his neck and smiled against his lips. When he pulled away reluctantly, he softly mumbled, "I missed you so much…"

"And I missed you." She bit her lip and looked into the icy grey eyes she had grown to love.

"I've been thinking about you every day since that night…" He put a hand on her cheek and softly ran his thumb over her skin.

"So how have you been?" She asked, her smile growing wider.

"God… I just love you so much." He ignored her question and kissed her again.

"Draco… I love you too. And seeing you again… it's overwhelming."

"Oh I know. I can't believe how long it's been."

"It felt like forever." She paused. "Draco… you should know. I ended up telling Harry about us. I'm sorry."

He slowly exhaled, "You know what? I think I would normally be upset… but I don't care right now. All I care about is being able to-" He heard someone walking towards them and turned. Harry was making his way over, staring reproachfully at Draco.

"What is he doing here, Hermione?"

"I can explain." Draco said, his tone growing colder. He stepped towards Harry, "The Dark Lord decided to use me as part of a mission to search for you. He sent a group of Snatchers, led by that werewolf Greyback, and myself to follow a tip someone gave Him. We have to keep quiet or Scabior over there will hear us." He nodded in the direction of the scruffy looking Snatcher, who was staring intently around the clearing. "These enchantments don't block out sound. No need to panic, I'm not going to turn you in. But I do suggest you leave. Now."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Look, Potter. I know we've had issues. And I can't really say I like you much. But this girl…" He turned and smiled at Hermione. "Has become everything to me. I wouldn't put her in danger. And I hope you have enough sense to look out for her."

"Fine. I believe you." He still sounded vaguely angry, but he could tell that Draco meant it. "I'll go pack up. Say goodbye or whatever it is you have to do, Hermione." He stalked back towards the tent.

"Draco… do I really have to go?" Hermione looked at him sadly.

"Yeah. The Snatchers will find you if you don't. And Scabior thinks I'm searching for you. He's not a patient person so I can't stay much longer."

As if on cue, Scabior began pacing and shouted, "Draco? Come on… they aren't here!"

"I- I have to go." He said softly. Hermione pulled him into her arms and buried her head against his chest. "I'll see you again soon. Don't worry."

"I hope so…"

"Me too." He said somberly. "Now, listen. Go some place far away… somewhere remote. Just anywhere that you'll be isolated. You can't risk getting seen, understand?" He cupped her chin and looked down at her.

She nodded. "Okay…"

"I don't want to leave you I just have to-"

"Hey! Little Malfoy, where'd you run off to!" Scabior shouted again.

"I have to go…" Draco said unwillingly. "I love you." He squeezed Hermione's hand and kissed her again before slipping away, outside of the enchantments and back into the clearing. With a last glance over his shoulder, he disappeared into the depths of the forest, trailing behind Scabior.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry sat next to Hermione on the icy ground. She was flipping through the pages of The Tales of Beetles and the Bard. "Hey. It's cold out here… why don't you come in the tent with Ron and I?"

"Hmm? Oh… I- I might stay out here for a while. I'm trying to figure something out."

He sighed and took the book from her. "Look. I know you obsessively read this thing whenever you're upset. So what's going on? Is it about…"He glanced over his shoulder and lowered his voice, "You know… Malfoy?" Ron was still blissfully unaware of Hermione's relationship with Draco.

"Can I have that back?" She grabbed the book from him and frowned.

"Come on, Hermione." Harry said, exasperated. "Just tell me."

"What could possibly be wrong? Ron came back, we destroyed that horcrux, and we haven't seen any Snatchers since…" She looked down and bit her lip. "Since two months ago."

"I know. And that's all great. But I know you're upset about… about Draco. You don't need to be defensive."

"I got to see him again." She said softly. "And it brought everything back. I've been remembering every little thing about him." She sounded on the verge of tears. "And now I know that it'll be a while before I can see him. And just being close to him again… makes knowing that even harder to deal with. I try not to think about him but…" She gave a shuttering breath and shook her head. "I just don't want to talk about it right now, okay?"

"Well, alright... But you really should come in the tent with us. It's dark and freezing out here." He stood and held his hand out to Hermione.

"Okay… but first can I show you something?" She asked hesitantly, still obviously thinking about Draco.

"Sure… what is it?" He sat back down and watched as she opened the book and flipped to one of the first few pages.

"This symbol. It looks like a triangular eye or something, doesn't it?" She pointed to a strange looking symbol in the top coroner of the page. "Did Dumbledore tell you anything about this?"

"No… no he didn't." Harry said slowly, studying the symbol. A look of recognition crossed over his face, "Hermione! I've see that! Xenophilius Lovegood had that on a necklace at Bill and Flur's wedding!"

"Luna's father? He's not exactly sane… is he?"

"No." Harry scoffed. "But it seems like he's the only person who might know about this symbol. Besides Dumbledore, of course. And if Dumbledore drew that in his book… it has to be important, right?"

"Good point…" She sighed. "I suppose we should go talk to him. He won't call any Death Eaters or anything. He prints nothing but good things about you in the Quibbler, remember?"

"Yeah. Let's go tell Ron." He stood and pulled Hermione to her feet. She still looked distressed. He smiled and said, "Hey. Don't worry, you'll see him again. I bet it'll be sooner than you think."

* * *

><p>Draco's mother hugged him tightly and kissed the top of his head. "So how has school been going Draco? Your father and I are so happy to have you home for the Easter holidays."<p>

"It's been alright." Draco muttered, shrugging slightly. "It's nice to be back home."

"That's good. Oh… the other Death Eaters are still using our house as a base. That shouldn't be a problem." She smiled nervously. "I'll send your trunk to your room." She cast a levitation spell and sent his trunk zooming up the stairs and to his bedroom. "You look exhausted. You should try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Uh, sure." Draco nodded wearily. He had trouble sleeping the past few months, ever since he had seen Hermione again. He silently made his way up the stairs and passed by his father's study. He lingered outside of the door, looking in.

His father was staring out the large window, slouching against a bookshelf. Ever since he got out of Azkaban, he looked worn out and anxious. Draco knocked softly on the doorframe. His father turned and greeted him with an attempt at a smile. "Oh, Draco. Come in. Shut the door behind you."

He stepped awkwardly inside and pulled the door shut. He wasn't sure if he could talk to his father anymore. Not since he had found out about Hermione last year. "Hello…"

Lucius sat in one of the leather chairs by the window and gestured to the other. Draco quickly walked over and joined him. "How has school been?"

"Fine." He looked down.

"And what about the mission the Dark Lord gave you? Did you find anything out about Potter and his friends?" He asked quietly, it seemed like he knew something.

"No. Nothing." Draco said quickly. "Err, have we gotten any other tips on where they might be?"

"You aren't going to go looking for that mudblood girl, are you?" He raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Draco felt his cheeks grow hot. _I just want to make sure she's safe. And if that means I have to go find her… _"Why would I do that?"

"Well, seeing that Snape caught you two together last year and Bellatrix said that she suspected you have feelings for her still… I think it's a logical assumption. And you know that she isn't someone you should love. Or like for that matter. You haven't forgotten about how our family feels about vermin like her, have you?" Draco sat in silence, his anger growing. "You shouldn't consider doing something like that ever. Especially with everything that's going on between our family and the Dark Lord… Draco are you even listening to me?"

"Yes." He spat out bitterly. "I just don't see why the Dark Lord should have so much say over matters of my personal life." Draco was surprised that he had openly spoken out against Voldermort, but didn't show it in his scowl.

"Don't say things like that. You know what kind of a position our family is in!" His father's tone rose.

"I can understand the position our family is in perfectly. But at this point, I don't care."

"You care more about a mudblood than your own family? You need to get your priorities straight Draco." He paused, letting the threatening undertone sink in. "You don't have any feelings for that dirty little mudblood anymore, do you?"

"Why would I tell you that? I'll just get reprimanded." Draco said defiantly.

"So you do?" His lip curled into a menacing sneer.

"I never said that, did I?" Draco stood up and began to walk towards the door.

"Draco! We aren't finished discussing this." Lucius was standing, looking agitated.

"Oh, I think we are."

"You used to always listen to me. That dirty blooded whore has damaged your attitude…"

Draco was about to lose control of his temper when a shout floated up the stairs, "Draco! Lucius! We think we got Potter and his friends!"

Draco threw open the door and ran down into the entrance hall.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Authors Note- Sorry I took so long to update! I know I left you guys with a cliffhanger last time. Sorry to keep you waiting. I had a lot going on this week and this was one of those chapters that takes forever and you just have trouble writing it… you know? So yeah… But here it is! Hopefully the rest will come easier…  
>As always, thanks for reading! I love you guys. :) Feedback?<strong>_

* * *

><p>Hermione struggled against Scabior's tight hold on her arms. "Hold still, beautiful… We just have to ask Draco if you're who we think you are. He knows you and your friends the best."<p>

"And what if he doesn't indentify us?" Hermione asked defiantly, still trying to get away.

"Oh he will… if he knows what's good for him, that is." Scabior growled in her ear.

"Ah, Draco… Lucius. There you two are." Bellatrix swept over to the stairway. Hermione stopped fighting back when she saw Draco standing at the foot of the stairs, looking anxious. "We need to be sure that this is really Potter. If it is, we can call the Dark Lord and he'll be most pleased with us."

"Go on, Draco." Lucius urged, with an uneasy smirk. "After all, you know them best."

"I-I can't tell for sure…" He said as he looked at Harry nervously. "What happened to his face?"

Harry's face was swollen, making it hard to recognize him. Bellatrix scowled at the Snatchers, "Yes, what happened to his face?"

"We don't know. We found him like this. Must've picked it up in the forest somewhere." Scabior shrugged.

"Looks more like a spell to me. Probably a clever little stunning spell…" She narrowed her eyes and looked over Hermione and Ron. "Who was it?"

"No one did anyth-"

"Keep quiet you filthy blood-traitor!" Bellatrix snapped at Ron. "I know one of you-" She noticed that one of the Snatchers was holding Godric Gryffindor's sword. He voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, "Where did you get that?"

"They had it with them… I suppose I'll just keep it for myself…" He grinned at Bellatrix.

"Accio sword!" She bellowed and it flew into her outstretched hand. The Snatchers released their grip on the trio and they got out of the way as Bellatrix began to cast a cocktail of dangerous spells on the group of Snatchers. Soon, they were lying on the floor, unable to move. "Narcissa, take them out to the Courtyard! I'll deal with them later…" She turned back to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "How exactly did you get this sword? It was in my vault at Gringotts… what else did you steal?"

"We didn't steal it!" Hermione shouted heatedly.

"Draco! Take them down to the cellar." He nodded and started to lead them towards a stairway, knowing Hermione would be safer away from Bellatrix. "Wait! Leave the mudblood. I want to ask her a few questions…"

Draco slowly turned back around. "L-leave her?"

"Isn't that what I said? I know she's lying to me… I need to find out. No matter what it takes." She roughly pulled a scared looking Hermione next to her. "Now go."

Draco pushed Harry and Ron towards the stairway. Once they had began their decent down the narrow corridor Harry spoke in a warning tone, "Don't let anything bad happen to her…"

"Don't worry, I… I'll try not to. Bellatrix is…. She's pretty ruthless. But I'll at least try to stop her before… I-I don't think anything bad will happen but I should probably get up there soon, just in case."

"Since when do you care about Hermione, Malfoy?" Ron said bitterly.

Draco glared at him, but ignored the comment. "You'll have to stay down here. Wormtail is guarding the door and… well he's a little snitch. He'll tell if you leave and then we'll all be in trouble…"

"Fine. I know you're as concerned about her as we are. Make sure she's okay." Harry said firmly.

"I will, don't worry."

"What the hell is going on?" Ron asked impatiently.

"I can't tell you." Draco said simply. "Ah. Wormtail… Bellatrix wants them in the cellar while she questions the girl. Be sure they don't escape, or the Dark Lord will be most displeased with you."

"O-of course…" He squeaked nervously and dragged Harry and Ron into the musty cellar and shut the door behind him.

Draco sprinted back up to the entrance hall, afraid of what he'd find.

* * *

><p>Hermione screamed as Bellatrix used the Cruciatus curse on her again and hissed in her ear, "What else did you take? I know you stole the sword!"<p>

"W-we didn't! I swear!" She gasped out once the searing pain had stopped.

"You're not answering me! Maybe other methods are nessicary… You're not giving in as easily as I expected…" She stood, leaving Hermione shaking on the floor. Draco had just entered the room and was staring at Hermione, looking fearful. "Draco… I'm going to go get something that might encourage her to talk… Make sure she doesn't get up… Well, I doubt she could either way." Bellatrix laughed and walked up the stairs towards her room.

Draco ran over to Hermione and sunk to the floor. "Hermione… are- are you alright?"

"Draco… I-I don't think I am…" She said weakly.

"It'll be okay…" He assured her nervously and then took her hand. "Don't worry…"

"Maybe it will be…" She lightly squeezed his hand.

"Draco, get up before your aunt comes back… you wouldn't want to make her angrier than she already is." His father whispered from behind him.

Without looking back, he dismissively muttered, "At this point, I don't really give a damn." And quickly turned his attention back to Hermione. As he pushed hair off of her face he smiled slightly, "This isn't the way I thought I'd see you again… And I wish it was different. I wish everything was different."

"I know." She gave a shuttering breath and looked up into his concerned, grey eyes. "Draco…?"

"Y-yeah?"

She dropped her voice so that only he could hear, "I love you."

"I love you too." He softly kissed her on the cheek and looked up towards the stairs. Bellatrix was just coming out of the hallway, holding her knife. He slowly stood and stepped away from Hermione.

"Maybe she'll tell me the truth now…" Bellatrix said sinisterly as she reached the bottom step. She strode over to Hermione, who had begun to look weaker, and knelt down next to her. "All right, mudblood… now tell me what else you stole from my vault!"

"We didn't ta-" She let out a cry of pain as Bellatrix began to carve letters into her left arm.

"Draco!" Bellatrix snapped, her voice rising. "Bring up the blood-traitor. This one isn't going to be of much use soon…"

"What do you mean 'much use'?" Draco asked in terror.

"She'll probably die before I can get any information. Now go bring up that Weasley boy!" She continued to dig her knife into Hermione's arm with a menacing smile on her face.

Draco nodded but didn't move. He slowly pulled his wand out and raised it, even though he knew that he would be no match against his aunt. Suddenly, Lucius shouted, "Bellatrix! Potter and Weasley escaped!" She stood and pulled Hermione up with her.

"Drop your wands!" She brought her knife to Hermione's throat. "We'll see just how filthy her blood is if you don't surrender…" Their wands immediately fell to the floor with a clatter. "Draco, go pick them up." He slowly walked over and pocketed their wands, giving Harry an apologetic look as he did so. "Good. Now… let's get the little heroes tied up... Lucius! Take care of that… I'll call the Dark Lord. He'll be pleased with us all…"

Draco saw the word 'mudblood' carved into Hermione's forearm, exactly where his Dark Mark had been burned. Blood was still tricking over her arm, the cuts looked deep. He looked down, _I could've tried to stop her… Hermione doesn't look so good. She's probably lost a lot of blood in addition to having the Cruciatus curse used on her… I should've intervened, this is all my fault. _

There was a strange noise coming from above, Draco looked up and saw his old house elf, Dobby, loosening the chandelier that hung directly over Bellatrix. As it fell, she released Hermione and jumped out of the way. Curses began to fly in every direction as Draco caught Hermione before she hit the floor. She was unconscious. A brief pain rippled over Draco's cheek, a shard of glass from the chandelier had sliced open his skin. He wiped the blood away and saw Ron disapperate. Bellatrix was busy yelling at Dobby, so she didn't notice Harry dash over to Hermione and Draco. "I'm going to take her someplace safe, alright?"

"Let me come with you. I need to make sure she'll be okay."

"No. She'll be fine. Trust me." Harry said firmly.

Draco hesitated. "O-okay… when she wakes up… tell her that I love her. And that I'm sorry I couldn't stop my aunt from hurting her."

"Sure." Harry nodded sharply. Draco carefully maneuvered Hermione into Harry's arms and bit his lip. "She'll be fine." Harry repeated as Dobby rushed over to them. Bellatrix threw her knife towards Dobby just as they disapperated. Draco closed his eyes and hoped that it wouldn't hit Hermione.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hermione leaned against Draco and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. She looked up at him and pressed her lips against his. Suddenly it became dark; a swirling grey mist blurred everything. Hermione was alone. Bellatrix's ominous laughter rang in her ears. Blood flowed from painful cuts on her arm, they spelled out 'mudblood'. A searing pain ripped through Hermione's mind as she snapped back into consciousness. _

She's waking up!" A voice from far above said excitedly. "Harry! Hermione's waking up!"

"Mmm? Dra-" Hermione blinked, everything came into focus. Ron and Harry were beaming nervously down at her. She looked around in confusion. "Wh-where am I?"

"We're at Shell Cottage… we'll be safe here." Ron said quickly. "You've been unconscious for a few hours… We got away from Malfoy Manor. Dean, Luna, and Griphook escaped as well. Erm... you should know-"

"I'll tell her." Harry said gravely. "Can we have a minute alone, Ron?"

"Sure." Ron shrugged and left the room.

Hermione was about to ask a stream of questions. Harry held up his hand and spoke, "First of all… Dobby's dead. Bellatrix threw her knife just as we disapperated… it hit him and… and he died. He was saving us…"

"Oh, Harry. That's awful!"

"I know…" He said sadly. "Bellatrix tortured you. And she carved 'mudblood' into your arm. You used all of your dittany when Ron got splinched… so we couldn't prevent scaring... but we made sure it wasn't infected or anything."

Hermione sighed, "It's okay. I can learn to deal with it…"

Harry sighed, "I should tell you… as I was burying Dobby… I-I saw You-Know-Who. He was torturing everyone at Malfoy Manor. And I think he somehow knew Draco let us escape…" Hermione stared up at him, looking distressed. "But I'm sure he'll be fine."

S-so Draco will be alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, yeah… He's going to be fine." Harry assured her. "He wanted to come with us… to make sure you were going to be okay. I wouldn't let him."

"Why not?"

"I knew that if he came with us… it'd cause him trouble. All the other Death Eaters would be searching for him. You-Know-Who would torture him to no end… or just kill him." Harry shook his head. "I think he knew that too. But he told me to tell you something…"

"What?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"He told me to tell you that he loves you." Hermione smiled shyly. "And that he's sorry that he couldn't stop Bellatrix from hurting you."

"It's not his fault…" She muttered, looking at the barely formed scabs on her arm.

"He thinks it was…" Harry shrugged. "Oh… in the fight we managed to get a few wands." He pulled three from his pocket, he held each up as he identified it, "Wormtail's… Bellatrix's… and Draco's. You should use his. I accidently disarmed him but… I think that using it would mean a lot to you."

"Thanks…" Hermione sat up and took the wand.

Harry smiled. "I'm still not used to this… You and Draco. It's just kind of strange."

"I know…" She grinned back. "But it's nice…"

Harry cleared his throat. "We have a plan. But we have to make sure you're feeling completely better before we try it…"

"I am… I feel loads better now. So what is it?"

"When Bellatrix saw Gryffindor's sword she thought it was missing from her vault. She went crazy and thought we took something else right?" Hermione nodded. "Ron and I were thinking… maybe she has a horcrux or something in there… something she doesn't want us to find."

Hermione gasped, "You're probably right! So we're going to break into her vault?"

"With the help of Griphook… There's only one problem with that." He looked away. "He wants the sword in return."

"But if there is a horcrux in her vault we'll need the sword to destroy it! And there are a few more horcruxes out there!"

"I know. Ron and I thought we could convince him to let us use it until we find all the horcruxes… But I doubt he'd want to do that…"

"You should at least ask him. Wait… how would we get into Gringotts? It's pretty much impossible to break in."

"We have a few ideas… we thought we could try pollyjuice potion. When Bellatrix was torturing you… Ron and I found a few of her hairs on your shirt. Well, we're pretty sure they're hers…"

"Oh. So I'd go in as Bellatrix…?" Harry nodded. "Who would you be?"

"We thought Ron could try to alter his appearance using some different spells or something... And maybe Griphook and I could hide under the invisibility cloak." He shrugged.

"I actually think that might work." She slowly stood and pocketed Draco's wand. "Should we go today?"

"A-are you sure you feel alright?"

"Yeah… and if we don't do it soon… Bellatrix might try to take whatever it is out of her vault."

"You have a point… I'll tell Ron." He walked over to the door and paused with his hand poised on the doorknob. "I'm glad you're okay… I know Draco would be too." He smiled and slipped out.

Hermione sighed and wandered over to a large window that faced out towards the beach. Mid-morning light reflected on the water, creating a calming scene. She stared out at a makeshift grave marker. She smiled sadly and read, "Here Lies Dobby, A Free Elf."

* * *

><p>Draco sat by himself in a compartment of the Hogwarts Express. Easter holidays were over and he was going back to the castle. He leaned against the window and sighed. <em>At least I'm getting away from home after everything… I hope Hermione is okay. I doubt Potter would've let anything happen to her. But she didn't look good when they left… I deserved the Dark Lord's punishment. If I had tried to stop Bellatrix, Hermione probably wouldn't have gotten hurt. I care about her so much but I couldn't protect her. I'm such a goddamned coward. <em>

Someone tapped lightly on the glass door. Draco looked up and saw Pansy waving awkwardly. He slowly stood and slid open the door. "Can I help you?"

"Draco… I just want to talk to you." She slipped past him and sat down.

"Okay…" Draco slid shut the door and sat across from her. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to know how you were doing." She smiled.

"Uh… I'm fine?" He raised an eyebrow. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"You've seemed… off lately. So… what's this about?" She moved over to sit next to him.

He frowned and spoke slowly, "Why are you so interested?"

"I'm allowed to be concerned, aren't I?" She smirked. "Crabbe and Goyle told me you're strangely quiet around them all the time now. And I can tell you're upset about something… I know you, Draco."

"No, you don't." He stood and scowled down at her. "You don't know anything about me, Pansy."

"Why do you have to be like this?" She crossed her arms and glared at him. "You should everyone out except for your stupid slag of a girlfriend! At least that's what it seems like. But I wouldn't know… you don't really say much about her. It makes me wonder if you actually love her."

Draco felt his face grow hot. "Just because I don't like talking about my very complicated relationship doesn't mean I don't love her. She's all I care about… And you shouldn't say that shit just because you're ignorant about love..."

She leapt up; the space between them became nearly non-existent. Draco shrank back as Pansy yelled, "I am not ignorant! You don't understand anything, do you? When we were together… I was so happy. The only reason I've been persistent lately is because I still love you!"

"Pansy…" He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't love you. I probably won't ever love you. I don't want to come off as mean or anything… I'm just being honest. I'm in love with someone else. I told you this before."

"But, Draco…" She leaned in to kiss him, but Draco put his hand up, stopping her.

"No. If you love me… you won't do this." He shook his head. "Just don't."

Pansy stared at him angrily for a moment. She then stomped to the door and spat out, "I figured out who the bitch is… it's that damn mudblood Granger, isn't it?"

Draco looked down until he heard the door slid shut. He sunk into a seat and held his head in his hands, "Goddamnit…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Authors Note: Hey there! First of all, I hope you liked this chapter! I'd love to know what you think! :) But I'm also wondering something… whenever I finish this fic should I continue the story? Like go more in depth into what happens after the war? Or does it depend on how I end this one?<br>Sorry… I'm thinking into the future... :)  
>Anyway… thanks for reading!<strong>_


	9. Chapter 9

Hermione handed Harry and Ron dry shirts that she had pulled from her bag. "I can't believe we lost the sword! Griphook wasn't much help, was he?"

"He got us into Gringotts, right? He just didn't help us get out…" Harry took off his soaking shirt and dropped it onto the ground. "And at least we got the horcrux."

"But what are we going to destroy it with?" Hermione shivered against the light breeze.

"We'll have to figure that out later, I guess." Ron said with a shrug. "But Harry, you said that You-Know-Who found out about the plan?"

"From what I saw." Harry nodded. "But I also saw that the last horcrux is at Hogwarts."

"But we can't just go barging into Hogwarts. Snape's the headmaster and that means it's probably crawling with Death Eaters!" Ron paused, considering the possible ways they could get into the school. "No, it's impossible. Even without the Death Eaters, there are too many enchantments… we can't apperate in."

"We can apperate into Hogsmead…" Hermione said slowly. "And sneak into Hogwarts somehow…"

"You're right!" Harry exclaimed.

"But what about the Death Eaters?" Ron obviously was worried.

"We've dealt with them before, haven't we? And besides… we know someone on the inside." Harry raised his eye brows and looked at Hermione.

"Draco?" Hermione asked, surprised. "H-how can he help us?"

"Draco? When did Malfoy become Draco?" Ron said with a snort.

"When he let us escape from You-Know-Who a few days ago." Harry said quickly, so Hermione wouldn't have to think of an explanation. "Whether we like him or not, he did save us."

"I guess." Ron murmured.

"So what can he do?" Hermione asked again.

"I just thought he might try to protect y- Erm… us." Harry shrugged. "He did it before."

"That doesn't mean he'll do it again. He hates us. Especially Hermione. He was always so mean to you."

Hermione looked down and softly said, "He's changed."

"How do you know that?" Ron narrowed his eyes.

"I- I just do."

"Leave her alone Ron. He certainly isn't as big of an ass anymore. But let's just focus on figuring out how we can get into Hogwarts and destroy the horcrux."

"I know, I know." Ron sighed.

"Hermione had a good plan. Sneaking into Hogsmead sounds like it'd work… but I don't know if there'd be any Death Eaters there."

"There might be." Hermione cleared her throat. "So we'll need to prepare for anything…"

* * *

><p>Draco lay in bed on top of the covers and still fully dressed, despite the late hour. He stared up at the high stone ceiling of the dormitory, his mind wandering. There was something different about that night, it felt like something was going to happen. He didn't know what it was or why he felt that, he just did. There was an unexplainable tension in the air.<p>

"Hey, Draco!" Crabbe's voice boomed.

Draco slowly sat up. "What is it?"

"Snape found out Potter and his friends snuck into the school. He hasn't caught them yet though."

Draco's eyes widened. "H-he hasn't?" Crabbe shook his head. "So what does he expect us to do about it?"

"Dunno. He wants us to look for them though."

"Well okay…" Draco stood and walked into the common room where Goyle was waiting. As they climbed down the stairs, his thoughts were focused on Hermione. _Why did she come here? I hope Potter isn't doing something stupid. I swear if she gets hurt and I find out it's his fault for brining her here… I'll kill the fucking bastard… But she's pretty tough; I think she can handle a lot. But the other Death Eaters… they're ruthless. They'll kill her for being a muggle born. At least Crabbe and Goyle are really thick. I can probably get away with making sure she's okay. _

They reached an abandoned corridor on the seventh floor. Draco heard something move in a dark corner. "You two go on… I'll check up here." They left to search another part of the castle and Draco walked cautiously down the corridor, his wand raised. Since he lost his, he had been using his mothers. "Hello? Anyone up here?"

Harry stepped out of the darkness. "Draco?"

"Where's Hermione? Why the hell did you bring her here?" He lowered his wand and frowned.

"We have to do something important. Hermione wanted to come back to make sure we could stop You-Know-Who. She went down to the Chamber of Secrets with Ron to-"

"What! What could she possibly have to do down there?"

"I'm sure she'll explain it to you." Harry said impatiently. "You can go look for her if you want to but I've got to find something very important right now, okay?" As Harry walked past him, Draco grabbed his wrist and turned him around. "What the fuck are you-"

"Listen. If anything bad happens to Hermione… I'm blaming you, understand?" He said slowly, staring down at Harry menacingly.

"Fine. I don't want anything bad to happen to her either. It's not like you're the only one who cares about her." Harry pulled his wrist away. He started to walk down the corridor again, but sighed and turned back. "Look, I know you love her… but she's my best friend. I care about her as much as you do. And I wouldn't have brought her here if I thought she'd get hurt. She's a brilliant witch; she can take care of herself. Don't interfere with what she has to do… ever if you're trying to protect her."

Draco looked down and shook his head. "I know. It's just hard to let her put herself into dangerous situations… I get so worried and… God, I don't know. I just don't want to lose her right now."

Harry spoke softly, "You really love her…"

Draco nodded, his eyes still focused on the ground. "Yeah. I really, really do."

Harry slowly backed away, "I-I've gotta go. You should probably find her… I know she'll want to see you. Go down towards the second floor girl's bathroom… that's where the entrance is. You'll probably run into her on your way down there."

"Okay…" Draco looked up and saw Harry's retreating figure. "Hey Potter!"

"What?" He looked over his shoulder.

"Uh, thanks…" He shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. "And I'm sorry I was such an ass to you all the time."

A surprised smile spread across Harry's face. "I should be thanking you… You let us escape from you're psychotic aunt. And forget about it… You're not nearly as arrogant as you were before. I think Hermione's had a positive effect on you."

Draco scoffed as Harry rushed out of sight. He quickly composed himself and ran down towards the Grand Staircase.

* * *

><p>"So we've got the fangs, now what?" Ron asked, running behind Hermione.<p>

"We have to find Harry and destroy the horcrux we've already found. If he manages to find the other one, we'll destroy that one too." They were going up to the seventh floor, knowing that Harry would be somewhere out there. "We'll figure out what to do next once we find him."

"What if we run into any Death Eaters?" Ron pushed the Basilisk fangs deeper into his pocket, making sure that they wouldn't fall out.

"I don't think we will… they're all doing something for You-Know-Who… probably getting ready to attack the castle."

"Well isn't Malfoy a Death Eater? And I could've sworn I saw Crabbe and Goyle not too long ago… they'll probably try to fight us or something."

"Like Harry and I have both told you… Draco's changed! He's not the arrogant, rude bastard we knew! He's… he's-" As if on cue, Draco came racing down the stairs and nearly ran into Hermione. She smiled and breathed his name.

They stood staring into each other's eyes until Ron cleared his throat. Hermione turned and saw that he was as red as his flaming hair. "Errm… I'll just go look for Harry now, I guess... You two can just do… whatever." He shuffled away awkwardly.

"Ron, don't be like that!" Hermione called after him. She looked down and mumbled, "Great… now he obviously knows about us."

Draco's smile faltered, "Is that bad?"

She shook her head. "I- I don't know. But he's defiantly not going to take this well…" With a sigh, she looked back up at him.

"Pansy found out. She was really pissed, but I doubt she'll do anything about it." He muttered, his tone unabashedly angry. "It's been nice having her avoid me though…"

Her smile slowly returned. "Let's not think about that right now, okay?"

"Yeah…" He brought his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "It's been a while since we've been able to just…" His voice trailed off as he put his lips against hers. She sighed and slipped her tongue into his mouth. He laced his fingers through her hair.

Suddenly Hermione remembered she had to find Harry and destroy the horcruxes still. As much as she wanted to stay with him, it didn't seem like kissing Draco was a good use of precious time. She broke the kiss and stammered, "Draco… I- I've gotta… I don't want to leave right now but… There's something I have to do. I have to… I have to go."

He exhaled, exasperated. "I figured…" She gave him a confused look. "I ran into Potter and he told me you were doing something important… Can you spare a few minutes and tell me what exactly it is?" A cocky smirk stretched across his face.

Hermione laughed softly. "Yeah… uhm, walk with me?" They started to make their way up to the seventh floor, his arm draped across her shoulders. "See we've been trying to find and destroy You-Know-Who's horcruxes. Doing that will help us kill Him. Ron and I had to go down into the Chamber of Secrets to get Basilisk fangs, their venom destroys these things. Now we have to find Harry and destroy the one we got out of your aunts vault."

Draco stopped walking. "Y-you broke into her vault?" She nodded. "Wow…" His voice softened, "Listen… I'm so sorry that she hurt you. I probably could've stopped her… She- She didn't hurt you too bad, did she?"

Hermione smiled tensely and continued up the stairs. "No… not too bad."

He stopped her again. "Hermione… I need you to tell me the truth, okay? I just… I just need to know."

A sad expression masked her face and she bit her lip. "It's not your fault. She… She tortured me and…" She slowly pushed up her sleeve. Draco's eyes widened as the raised pink scars spelling out 'mudblood' came into view. His hands shook slightly as he gently took her wrist and ran his fingers over the scars. She repeated softly, "It's not your fault… It's okay…"

He closed his eyes and shook his head. His voice was a scratchy whisper, "No… it is. I knew she cut that into your arm and I knew it was deep but… I didn't think it would scar like this."

"Hey, don't blame yourself… And besides, it'll fade." She took his hand again and hurried up the stairs. "We can't think about that right now. I have to find Harry and-" Just as they reached the seventh floor landing, a jet of green light shot past them and hit the wall. Draco pulled her close to his chest and flattened against a wall, shielding her from the stone that crumbled away when the curse hit. More flashes erupted along the stairs, aiming at nothing in particular. They moved farther down the stairway, probably down towards the Great Hall. Draco looked down at Hermione and brushed hair away from her face, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… yeah. And you?"

"Mmmhmm, I'm fine. Come on, we've gotta go somewh-" Harry's words flashed across his mind. _She can take care of herself. Don't interfere with what she has to do… ever if you're trying to protect her._ "Go. Just go do what you have to… We need to kill the Dark Lord. I'll cover you and try to distract Crabbe and Goyle."

"Okay…" She took his hand and squeezed it. "I'll be careful… Don't you worry about me, all right?"

"I'll try not to." He smiled slightly and kissed her forehead.

"Oh, Harry gave me this to use…" She pulled his wand from her pocket and held it out to him. "I thought you might want to have it back."

"Thank you… Here, take my mom's. It's powerful… I'm sure it'll work for you." They exchanged wands quickly, but let their fingers linger on each others. "Now go… you should try to find your friends."

She nodded and began to walk away. Just as he was turning to search for Crabbe and Goyle, she suddenly ran back and flung her arms around his neck. He moaned in surprise as she kissed him as if it was the last time they would ever be able to. Deep down, they both knew that it might be.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Authors Note: Long chapter! Sorry it took so long to update! Here's my plan for the rest of the story… I'll do one or two more chapters then an epilogue. I don't think I'll do a third story in this little series. But we'll never know… I'm kind of indecisive. My plan will probably change… but I dunno still.<br>Anyway… yeah here's the ninth chapter of Dirty Blood, Pure Blood! I feel like I've been writing this forever! :) But I've enjoyed it…  
>I'll try to update a little faster this week… But any feedback on this chapter is totally welcome, as always.<br>Thanks for reading! :)**_


	10. Chapter 10

"_I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter, and they shall not be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight._"

Voldemort's cold voice echoed throughout the castle and across the grounds. Hermione was comforting Ron. She was patting his back and letting him cry against her chest at the foot of the stairs. He had just found out that Fred got killed by a group of Death Eaters. Hermione looked over her shoulder, Harry had gone up to Dumbledore's office and she wanted to see if he was coming. She let out a shuttering breath. Her thoughts were racing,_ I just saw Snape die… I cannot handle this right now… Ron's inconsolable about Fred, and I'm pretty upset myself… I hope Draco's okay… even if Crabbe is horrible, he must feel bad about his death. I haven't seen him since we destroyed the horcrux… I want to know if he's doing alright… I've never been so emotionally strained in my life, but I have to stay strong for Ron and Harry. But if Harry doesn't go to Voldemort we'll all be dead. I know he'll go. I'm on the verge of a breakdown… But I know I have to stay strong. _

"It'll be okay… Everything will be okay…" She mumbled to Ron. Hearing footsteps on the stairs and turned. Harry was walking towards them, a look of grim determination plastered on his face. "Ron… it's Harry."

He wiped his eyes and stood on shaky legs. Hermione rose to her feet as well and took a few steps towards Harry. "Harry… a-are you going?"

"I have to, don't I? I'm the only one who can stop him…"

"He'll kill you… You know he will." She whispered.

"But I have to do something… or at least try… I have to."

Hermione pulled him into a tight hug, "Please… we can't lose you right now."

Harry just smiled sadly. "Are you doing okay, Ron?"

"Y-yeah… As okay as I can be… I- I guess." He blinked back more tears and wrapped his arms around Harry and Hermione. They stood there until Harry pulled away and nodded to himself.

"I've got to go. I have to do this." And with that, he left. Hermione closed her eyes and sighed. _I hope he comes back alive… _

* * *

><p>"…<em>You have until midnight."<em>

Draco pushed past a group of scared looking first years as he descended the stairs. A chill rippled down his spine upon hearing the Dark Lords warning. He slipped down an abandoned corridor and caught his breath. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He muttered to himself between deep breaths, "Oh god… I can't believe this is happening… This war needs to be over…" He shivered, reliving the moment of Crabbe's death. "I don't want to lose anyone else tonight…"

Once he calmed himself down enough he nodded slowly to himself, "I've got to find Hermione…"

As he quickly made his way back to the Grand Staircase he saw Neville Longbottom sitting next to a blonde girl. "Longbottom!" Neville looked up and scowled. "Look, I'm not going to do anything to you… I just have to find Hermione… Do you know where she is?"

"Why do you care, Malfoy?" He said sounding uncharacteristically brave.

"I just have to find her… please tell me where she is." He pleaded softly.

"Well… I don't know where she is, sorry." Neville's tone softened slightly.

The blonde girl, who Draco realized was Luna Lovegood, spoke in a dreamy voice, "I believe she's with Ronald Weasley. His brother just died and I think he needs a friend right now."

"Where is she?" Draco asked again.

"I can't be sure…" She slowly stood and tapped her finger against her chin. "I think I saw her in the Great Hall last…"

"That's good enough for me... Thanks." He turned and started to run down to the Great Hall. He pushed by groups of upset looking students, an anxious tension written on their faces. As Draco approached the Entrance Hall, the crowds thinned. He slowed his pace, trying to calm his nerves.

The Entrance Hall was deserted, except for two figures seated at the foot of the stairs. It was Hermione, her arms were wrapped around Ron Weasley's shoulders. A twinge of jealously shot through Draco's chest. _Calm down Draco. She's just comforting her friend. Loony Lovegood said his brother died. I just wish I could be in his place right now… Maybe I'm being selfish… _

Draco bit his lip and walked down the stairs. Hermione heard his footsteps and turned to see who they belonged to. A smile played at the corners of her lips and she whispered something to Ron. He nodded slowly and stood. Hermione said something else that Draco couldn't make out and Ron smiled slightly. He pulled Hermione up and tightly hugged her before walking in the direction of the Great Hall.

Hermione ran up the stairs and flung her arms around Draco's neck. He pulled her closer and placed a kiss on the top of her head. She looked up at him with tears slowly running down her cheeks. He cupped her chin and caressed her lip with his thumb. "Oh, Hermione… What's wrong?"

"I'm just afraid I'll lose you… Too many people have died and…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry…."

"No… Don't be. I don't know what I'd do if you… if you died…" He shivered and held her tighter. "After this war is over... No matter which side wins…"

"Yeah?" She bit her lip.

He looked away, "I know we're young… I mean we're only seventeen, right? I'm probably too young to even consider this…" He laughed nervously.

"Draco? A-are you saying…?" Her eyes widened.

"Yeah…" He sunk down to his knee, an awkward feat because of the stairs. Taking her hand and smiling, he said, "Hermione, I love you so much… And after this war is over… I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, will you, Hermione Jean Granger, marry me?"

She nodded and smiled widely. "Of course I will, Draco."

He stood at kissed her passionately. "I'll get you a ring when all this is over… That way, it'll feel more official."

"I still have the ring you gave me last year… we can use that." She pulled the chain it resided on over her head and undid the clasp. She slipped the ring off of the chain and placed onto Draco's palm. "I suppose you'll want to do this part."

He laughed and slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her hand. "I love you."

"And I love you." She hugged him tightly.

Voldemort's voice boomed across the castle again, "_Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone. The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as well every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before him, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together._"

Hermione let out a small sob and cried against Draco's chest. He muttered soothing words, trying to calm her down. People were coming down the stairs and out of the Great Hall, buzzing with confusion. However, nobody came outside into the courtyard.

The doors to the Entrance Hall opened. Voldemort strode in followed by a group of Death Eaters and Hagrid. In his arms was the lifeless body of Harry Potter.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Authors Note: Hey there! Sorry this chapter took so long… But here it is! First off I want to note that the italicized Voldemort quotes are from the book. I didn't write those. I'm not trying to steal or have some kind of copyright infringement… I just wanted to make it accurate. Anyways, I've got a few more things to tie up in this particular fic… and then afterwards I have decided to continue with this story line and write a shorter "after the war" follow up type thing. So yeah….<br>I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! :) Thanks for reading!**_


	11. Chapter 11

Voldemort and his followers were standing in the doorway, basking in the exclaims of terror the survivors of the battle emitted at the sight of Harry. Hermione buried her face against Draco's chest and muttered to herself in disbelief. "This isn't supposed to happen… He can't be dead… he can't be…"

Draco kissed the top of her head and looked up. A cruel smile formed on Bellatrix's lips as she surveyed the faces of the students. His mother looked scared, then relived as her eyes connected with his. His father was as stony faced as ever, but looking oddly uncomfortable amongst the other Death Eaters.

"Do not cry for your "hero"… He was trying to escape, you know. Instead of facing death bravely like a man. He obviously is selfish." Voldemort said slowly.

Hermione turned towards Voldemort and scowled. Her voice mingled with the others, "That's not true! How dare you say that you evil fucking bastard!" Draco took her hand and squeezed it softly.

Footsteps thundered above them as Neville ran down the stairs. He shouted and raised his wand. Voldemort cackled as he aimed his wand, a flash of light erupted from the tip and Neville toppled down the stairs. He landed with a grunt, sprawled out on the bottom step. "And who has so foolishly volunteered to demonstrate what will happen to those of you who continue to fight?"

Bellatrix spoke quickly, "It's Neville Longbottom, my Lord! He's been giving the Carrows trouble. He's the son of those Aurors, remember?"

"Ah, yes…" He swept over to Neville, who was slowly getting to his feet, with a sickly smile on his face. "But you're a pure blood, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but what does blood purity have to do with anything?" He said defiantly. Hermione grasped Draco's hand harder.

"You'd make a fine Death Eater, Neville. You show great courage and spirit… We need your kind."

"I'll join you when hell freezes over!" He spat. "Dumbledore's Army!" The crowd gave a shout of encouragement to Neville. Hermione noticed that he was clutching the Sorting Hat in his fist. His wand had been taken by a Death Eater. Her heart thumped against her rib cage, _The Sword came to Harry when he needed it. Fawkes brought his the Sorting Hat and the Sword presented itself to a worthy Gryffindor. Let's hope that happens again… _

Voldemort laughed, low and cold. "We warned you… " The Death Eaters began to cast spells in every direction. The Battle was back on.

Although no one could hear, Voldemort said something in parseltongue, and Nagini began to slither towards Neville. Hermione tensed up, unable to look away from the certain death of her friend. Draco casted a strong shield charm, ensuring their protection for the time being.

As Nagini got closer, something happened. In one swift motion, Neville pulled the Sword of Godric Gryffindor out of the Hat and slashed the blade down through the air. Just as Nagini was about to strike, her head was severed. The body landed at Voldemort's feet.

"Draco! We have to help!" Hermione snapped out of her state of shock and ran down the stairs, pulling Draco along behind her. The dueling crowds were moving into the Great Hall. Hermione let go of Draco's hand, pulled out her wand, and began casting at any Death Eater she saw. Draco used a mix of shield charms to deflect any curses that might hit Hermione or himself.

Suddenly Voldemort let out a piercing, rage filled scream. Draco looked up and saw him standing next to Bellatrix's lifeless body, casting spells like a madman. _I've never seen him show so much compassion… Bella loved him but-_

Draco's thoughts were cut off as he was hit with a stunning spell. He fell backwards, wincing in pain. "Draco! Are you all right?" Hermione knelt down beside him.

He slowly sat up and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"PROTEGO!" Hermione looked up towards the center of the Hall, where the familiar voice had come from. Harry pulled off his Invisibility Cloak, revealing himself to all.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed in joy and surprise. Draco smiled and whispered, "Glad to have you back, Potter…"

The Hall fell silent as Voldemort and Harry began to prepare for battle. Hermione helped Draco to his feet and muttered, "Come on… let's get to a safe place."

They quickly slipped out of the Great Hall and into the quiet Entrance Hall. "Aren't you worried about Harry?"

"Of course." Hermione nodded, leaning against a wall in exhaustion. "But he knows what he's doing. Trust me."

"Okay… You know him better than me so…" He shrugged.

"His mother saved his life because she loved him. Voldemort can't understand love… It protects Harry."

Draco smiled softly. "Do you think that my love could protect you?"

"Of course…" She stepped closer to him and grinned. "And do you think-"

"I _know _that my love would protect you." As he leaned into kiss her, she turned her head. His lips brushed against her cheek. He frowned slightly, "Is something wrong?"

"No… Well…" She sighed and looked down. "I just don't know if we should be doing this right now… I know I'll… uh, want more than just… just kissing." She blushed and quickly continued, "And I mean, my best friend is in there fighting the most powerful dark wizard of all time."

Draco smirked slightly at her embarrassment, "I see your point. But I thought you said Harry could handle himself in there…"

"He can... I hope. But he's my best friend… so of course I'm worried about him."

"True…" He leaned against the wall and took Hermione's hands. He ran his fingers over the sleeve covering her scarred arm. "Can I have another look at this?" She nodded and allowed him to push her sleeve up. The scars stood out against her smooth skin, magic remedies would be useless in the healing process at this point. Draco suddenly realized something and pushed his sleeve up as well, exposing his Dark Mark. It was on the same arm and in the same spot as her scars. He quietly said, "We'll always have little reminders of all the shit we've been through…"

She muttered to herself, "The unlikely love of the know-it-all mudblood and the pureblood Death Eater."

He cupped her chin and brushed his long fingers against her cheek. "There's so much more to us than our blood status… and you're not as much of a know-it-all as you think you are." He laughed, flashing his signature smirk.

"And you're the farthest thing from a Death Eater." She smiled. Everything she had said earlier faded away as she brought her lips to his. He moaned softly as she pressed him against the wall and kissed him feverishly. She pulled back and murmured, "Sorry… I said I wouldn't-"

He placed his finger to her lips and shook his head. "It's fine… But I think you're right… this isn't the place."

Hermione nodded and stepped away. "I just missed you… I missed everything about you. And the two times I've been able to see you since Voldemort took over have been too brief. We couldn't really-"

She was interrupted by a loud shout from the crowd in the Great Hall. "Oh god, what happened!" As she was about to run into the Hall, the doors burst open and a disheveled looking Ron ran out, beaming. He sprinted over to Hermione and hugged her tightly, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around in the process. "We won! Harry beat him! He's gone!"

"W-what!" Hermione smiled widely. "What happened?"

"Harry killed him… well kind of. It's kind of hard to explain exactly what happened…" He released Hermione from their bone crushing embrace. "But the point is… it's all over. He's gone! He's dead!" Ron noticed Draco standing awkwardly behind Hermione. His smile faltered, but he said nothing. "I'm going to go talk to Harry some more… See you later."

He left quickly and silently. Hermione groaned. "He'll be fine…" She turned back to Draco and bit her lip. "We won… its over."

He smiled and took her hand. "Maybe this war is… But we're not." He laughed and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him and smiled against his lips.

She pulled away and whispered, "You're right… we're not."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Authors Note: Things seem to be working out perfectly for Hermione and Draco… is this the end? Am I really going to leave you wondering what their life is like after the Second Wizarding War has ended? Don't fret my glorious readers… I've got an epilogue in the works and I'm brainstorming for a third part to this little story. :) I have a general plot line all planned in my head (It won't be all that long… well maybe. We'll see how it goes.) I just am having trouble with a title. That's always hard for me… but I'll come up with something!<br>Anyway… I hope you guys liked this chapter… I really would like to thank all of you who have stuck with me (and even those of you who just take the time to read my fics!) You are amazing. :)  
>And, as always, I love feedback. <strong>_


	12. Chapter 12

Hermione moved closer to Draco and rested her head on his shoulder. She smiled and softly said, "I've always loved it over here… Especially on nights like these." There was a full moon illuminating the smooth surface of the lake. They were lying in the grass, privately celebrating the bittersweet victory.

"I can see why…" He kissed her temple.

Hermione sat up slightly so she could look at Draco easier. "So… how are you going to tell your parents about us?"

Just as he was about to speak, Narcissa's voice echoed across the grounds. "Draco?" He sat up and looked towards the cluster of trees that flanked the lake. Sure enough, Narcissa's voice floated past them again, "Draco? Lucius, where do you think he is?"

"Well, I guess they're about to find out…" He stood and helped Hermione up just as a panic stricken Narcissa came into view. She gave a sigh of relief and ran over to them, Lucius slowly followed. Draco smiled as his mother wrapped her arms around him and muttered, "I was afraid we lost you…"

"I'm fine… it's okay…" He stepped back and took a deep breath. "There's something you two should know…"

"What is it, Draco?" Lucius spoke in a cold tone and placed his hand on Narcissa's shoulder.

Draco nervously bit his lip. "Well… I know that you found out that Hermione and I…" He took Hermione's hand and smiled slightly. "Were seeing each other last year. Remember that letter Snape sent you?" They nodded in unison, looking slightly confused. "Well, we never ended our relationship… And since then… we've, uh… well we've fallen in love…"

"Ah… Well why are you telling us this, Draco?" Lucius asked, daring Draco to continue. His eyes darted to Hermione.

"We… we talked about our future together… you know after the war…" He looked down. "We wanted to- to get married…"

"Married?" Narcissa repeated, sounding surprised. "But you're only seventeen. And this is a big decision…"

"I'm afraid that I don't really approve…" Lucius blatantly stated.

"Is it because she's a muggle born?" Draco scowled at his father.

"Well… I just thought we taught you differently… and you're mother's right… it's a big decision."

"Draco… we're only thinking about what's best for you." She touched his cheek lovingly.

"Well what about what I think is best for me?"

"You're young…" Narcissa sighed. "When you're a little older-"

"I can get all my money out of Gringotts now… I'm of age. And if I want to marry her… goddamn it I will." He stared defiantly at his father, who looked very worn out by the war.

"Draco, listen to us…" Narcissa spoke softly.

"No you listen." Draco was surprised; he usually didn't interrupt his mother. "This damn war has been ruining everything… and all that stuff about blood purity… it doesn't matter. I know you two taught me to think I'm superior because I'm a pureblood… But it just doesn't matter."

His parents were silent for a while. Hermione uncomfortably shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"I see." Lucius said slowly. "I suppose we can't stop you then… Come along Narcissa."

"Lucius what are you-" She turned to follow him, glancing over her shoulder at Draco.

"They won't last… I can tell. Draco will soon realize that he's been wasting his time on that silly girl." Lucius said loud enough for Hermione and Draco to hear.

"D-don't listen to him Hermione… we'll be fine."

"I don't want you to give up your family for me…" She shook her head slowly.

"I don't care about that right now… I just want us to be together, okay?"

"A-are you sure… you'd give all that up for me?"

"Of course." He sighed and brushed his fingers up her arm. "I love you Hermione. I'd give it all up for you if I had to." He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too, Draco…" She smiled and pressed her cheek against his chest.

"Nothing bad can happen to us..." He muttered. "Everything is going to be fine."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Authors Note: The end! Well, sort of... I'll be writing a third little installment to this story. But it might be a little while (not like a super long time or anything… I'm just super busy right now.) Be sure to keep an eye out for it though!<br>I figured that Lucius and Narcissa should find out… so this is how all that goes down. Oh and just a teeny note: I noticed that in a lot of other Dramione fics… Narcissa is portrayed as being more open minded about the whole blood purity thing. Well… that's not really in her character (as in the way that the marvelous J.K. Rowling wrote about her). I just wanted to keep true to the book on that. And I know that after the war, Draco's parents weren't really as concerned with blood purity… but this is like right after it ends. They wouldn't really be un-prejudice so quickly, right? I'll probably bring that into the third part.  
>Anyway… I know I talked a lot.. Sorry. :) But I hope you guys enjoyed this! I love all my wonderful readers!<strong>_


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